This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Am I biased when it comes to this story?

Yes.  Clearly.

I have had the privilege of being a member at Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club in Salem, Oregon, for more than 30 years.  I also live on the course, about three houses from the 1^st tee.

It is a privilege for me to be able to play Illahe as often as I do, which is nearly daily.

The high ranking mentioned in this blog headline comes from GolfWeek magazine.  Here is a text of the article:

Golfweek’s Best Private Courses 2023:  State-by-state rankings of private courses

By Jason Lusk

“Want to find the best private golf courses in each state?  You’re in the right spot, and welcome to Golfweek’s Best 2023 list of top private layouts as judged by our international panel of raters.

“The hundreds of members of that ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course.  Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings.”

KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.

* indicates new or returning to the rankings

1. Eugene CC
Eugene (T97m)

2. Pronghorn (Fazio)
Bend (T104m)

3. Waverley
Portland (T115c)

4. Pumpkin Ridge
(Witch Hollow)
North Plains (m)

5. Astoria*
Warrenton (c)

6. Columbia Edgewater
Portland (c)

7. Bend GC*
Bend (c)

8. Portland GC
Portland (c)

9. Illahe Hills*
Salem (m)

10. Broken Top Club*
Bend (m)

I take pride in this new listing, though, of course, I did not create it, nor did I have a hand in its creation.  It arises because, in their wisdom, those in charge of Illahe have allowed it to be open on occasion to non-members for tournaments and charity events.  Word then filters out about the quality of the course, including by those who rate it for magazines like GolfWeek.

There is often a very delicate balance here.  Allow the course to be open to non-members, but don’t overdo it, thus depriving members themselves from a chance to play “their” course.  All private golf courses walk this tightrope.

From a big-picture perspective, Illahe members enjoy almost unparalleled access.  Private courses to the north in and around Oregon’s largest city, Portland, have many more golf rounds per year than does Illahe.  So do courses to the south, including Eugene Golf and Country Club, which leads the GolfWeek list.

Willamette Valley Golf and Country Club, to the north, runs more than 40,000 rounds per year, making it tough for some members to book tee times.

 By contrast, Illahe’s annual rounds total about 18,000.

One point I make frequently about Illahe:  I have been a member for more than 30 years, but never – yes, never – do I get tired of playing the course.  It offers new challenges every time I tee it up on the 1^st hole.

Join me.